A young couple I know recently got the surprise of their lives when their baby was born. On the basis of the ultrasound tests done months ago, they had planned accordingly. The baby shower was themed specifically for a girl, the clothes were predominately pink, the nursery was completed with a definite “feminine” flair, and they concentrated on selecting the perfect girl’s name.
And then, at the moment of delivery: SURPRISE! It’s a boy!
Makes me feel good all over to know that the universe still has a few tricks up its sleeve. And by the time this newborn is old enough to distinguish blue from pink, it will have outgrown all the “gender biased” clothing anyway. No big deal.
And yet I feel a teensy bit guilty about how all this turned out… It’s not that I actually believe I have any supernatural powers or anything, or that I am in any way RESPONSIBLE, but I admit I was secretly hoping the “tests” were wrong.
I really like the idea that even when we think we “know” something, and even when we can point to scientific “proof”, there’s still an element of “chance” in the way things play out. It may be a tiny percentage, not one you’d readily put money on, but it just goes to show us that nothing much in life is a 100% sure thing.
And for some reason, I find that strangely comforting.